A power converter including power conversion circuits connected in parallel has been known. Examples of such a power converter are described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-022872 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-034925. A power converter that includes power conversion circuits connected in parallel has two major advantages. One is that allowable power for the power converter can be increased since a load can be distributed. The other is that even if one of the power conversion circuits fails, a function of the power converter can be maintained by the other(s) of the power conversion circuits. To realize the latter advantage, the power converter described in each of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-022872 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-034925 includes a cutoff switch configured to cut off connection of a power conversion circuit that fails due to short circuit.
A power conversion circuit includes a multitude of identical or similar switching elements. A power converter that includes a multitude of switching elements may employ a module (a power module) that packages some of the switching elements. Each of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-171246 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-096620 describes a power converter that employs a module that packages a switching element for power conversion and a cutoff switch for current cutoff. In the power converter described in each of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-171246 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-096620, the switching element for power conversion and the cutoff switch are connected in series in the module. The cutoff switch may be a device of a type identical to or different from that of the switching element for power conversion.